Breather cover for tanks



Dec. 4, 1928.

J. S. PATTEN BREATHER COVER FOR TANKS Filed Sept. 2, 1926 INVENTOR Jof//v 5. /q 77E/v BY Mg law ATTORNY Patented Dec. 4, 1928.

UNITED sTATEs JOHN S. PATTEN, OF MADISON, NEW JERSEY.

BREATHER COVER FOR TANKS.

Application filed September 2, 1926. Serial No. 133,095.

This invention relates to fire prevention means for tanks ydesigned to carry or store material which gives off combustible or explosive gases.

ln the storage of liquid fuel, for example, inoil refineries, tank transports, efe., it is necessary to vent the tank containing the fuel when the fuel is being drawn off.' in order to avoid creating a vacuum in the tank which would impede or prevent the withdrawal of the fuel. The provision of a vent opening, however, exposes the tank c ontents to danger of ignition from flying sparks or other sources of fire. The burning of such gases as may have escaped from the tank is unimportant, but the propagation of the flame to the interior of the tank is apt to cause an explosion resulting in injury or death and in serious property loss.

lt is an object of the present invention to provide safety means for covering the vent openings of tanks which will prevent the propagation of a flame from the exterior to the interior of the tank.

It is a more specific object of the invention to provide a cover of this character which can be readily removed and which is light in construction, durable in use, cheap to manufacture, and more certain in opera-l tion than devices heretofore provided for like purposes.

Other objects and advantages will hereinafter appear. L

ln the drawings forming a part of this specification Figure 1 is a fragmentary, vertical section showing a cover embodying features of the present invention, applied to a tank;l

Figure 2 is a horizontal section on the line 2-2 of Figure 1, parts being broken away for clearness of illustration;

Figure 3 is a. fragmentary elevation of a metal sheet used in making the cover filler; and

Figure 4 is a sectional View taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 3. f

The tank 1 may be of any usual construetion and is provided with a vent opening in its top which is surrounded by an internally threaded, circular flange 2. In accordance with the present invention a pipe or neck 3 having an internal flange 4 at its lower end is threaded into the flange 2. The neck 3.

may be of any suitable height, but is prefer ably about a foot and a half in height. This neck is provided as a support and holder for the safety cover to be described.

rilhe safety cover comprises a sleeve 5 which snugly fits the neck 3 and rests 0n the flange 4 thereof. rlhe sleeve 5 comprises upper and lower complementary sections (l and 7 and contains a sheet metal filler 8, rlhe sleeve 5 is made of a metal which is incapable of striking a spark when brought into contact with other metals, so that there is no danger of igniting the gases when the cover is being removed from the'neck 3 or is being put in place thereon. Aluminum and bronze are examples of metals suitable for constructing the sleeve 5. The sections 6 and 7 of sleeve 5 are provided respectively with integral spiders 9 and 10 at their outer ends, and these spiders are connected by an axially extending bolt 11 and a nut 12 for holding the sleeve sections together. A sleeve 13 surrounds the bolt 11 and forms a core on which the sheet metal forming the filler 8 is spirally wound. The core sleeve is of sufllcientvdiameter to obviate sharp bending of the filler sheets, so that inaccu racies which might arise from very sharp bending are avoided.

The construction and filler and the method of combining it with the other parts of the cover constitute very important features of theA invention.l As illustrated herein, the filler is made of two arrangement of this sheets 14 and 15 of aluminum, bronze, or

other suitable material incapable of lstriking sparks. The sheet 14 is of plain sheet stock, whereas the sheet 15, which is illustrated in detail in Figures 3 and 4, is formed with spacing bnrrs or humps 16 and 17 projecting respectively from the inner and outer faces of said sheet. rThe burrs serve to space the sheets from'one another, but are short enough so that the space between the sheets is quite narrow.

In manufacturing the cover, the flat and burred sheets 14 and 15 are first superposed, and are then wrapped together upon the sleeve 13 as a core to form a filler of the diameter required to snugly fit the sleeve 5. The Sleeve sections 6 and 7 are then placed over the filler in interfitting relation, and are secured together by passing the bolt 11 through the spiders 9 and 10 andthrough the core sleeve 13, and by securing the nut 12 upon the threaded endof the bolt 11. The filler is slightly shorter than the sleeve 5, leaving room for vthe cover to be gripped by the arms of the upper spider 9 for lifting it.

The filler sheets are very accurately spaced by this method of construction and are held -#permanently in this relationship by the snugly fitting sleeve 5. They are not subject to disariangement or damage of an/y kind which would impair their operatio'n, because they are housed and Iprotected by the sleeve 5 and because they do not depend upon soldering, welding, or other extraneous holding means for maintaining them in correctly assembled relationship.

The s iral space between the sheets is of substantially uniform width and the filler is of such length that a flame cannot be forced through even when considerable pressure. is applied. In this connection it is a particular feature that the Spaces between the sheets extend longitudinally of the sleeve 5, and that a Haine must traverse these narrow spaces for substantially the entire length of the cover before it can enter the tank.'

The 'manufacture of the cover is very simple, due to the fact that the filler consists only of the two metallic sheets, and due further to the fact that these sheets are selfpositioning in the winding of the filler.

outermost tur'n of said sheet.

2. In a flame arresting breather cover for tanks, in combination, a hollow core, a

thereon, imperforate sleeve sections surrounding and snugly fitting the outermost turn of said sheet, means forming a handle at the upper end af said cover, and means connecting the lower sleeve section to said handle.

4. In a'flame arresting breather cover for tanks, in combination, a core, a plain metallic sheet wound in volute spiral form on the core, means spacing adjacent turns of said sheet uniformly from one another, and an imperforate sleeve surroundin the sheet and retaining it against unwinding or slacken ing.

5. In combination, a tank, an upstanding, cylindrical neck on said tank having an in- ,ternal flange at its lower end and a removable flame arresting breather cover insertable in said neck, comprising a cylindrical shell formed to snugly fit the neck and rest upon the flange thereof, and a flame arresting filler in said shell.

6. In combination, a tank, an upstanding, cylindrical neck on said tank having an internal flange at its lower end and a removable flame arresting breather covei` insertable in said neck, comprising 'a cylindrical shell formed to snugly fit the neck and restupon the flange thereof, and a spirally wound sheet metal filler fitting said shell and pro, viding long, narrow air'` 'passages extending longitudinally for substantially theV entirev length of the shell. ,f

In testimony whereof I have aflixed my signature to this specification.

JOHN S. PATTEN. 

